Zola Maseko

The Foreigner is a 17-minute film about the relationship between an immigrant street vendor and a homeless child. It is a chilling and gripping indictment of xenophobia. The story traces the relationship between a foreigner Koffi (played by Ivorian musician Koffi Kouakou Gervais) and a young boy Vusi (played by Bafana Matuta), that develops and grows despite the hostility and aggression directed at the foreigner. Shot on location in Hillbrow, in the heart of a city that has not only been deserted by white capital but is also perceived to be the Sodom and Gomorrah of the new South Africa, the film deals with the humanity of friendship and the brutality of xenophobic hatred. With attacks on black foreigners having become increasingly deadly and brutal, xenophobia has moved into the media spotlight. The Foreigner tells the story of people whose lives are irrevocably touched by xenophobia.